'Super bus lanes' launch a new era

A NEW age of public transport for Greater Manchester has been given the go-ahead with more than 140 miles of new bus lanes. There will be more than £32m worth of so-called "quality" bus lanes, along with satellite tracking of services along key routes.

A NEW age of public transport for Greater Manchester has been given the go-ahead with more than 140 miles of new bus lanes.

There will be more than £32m worth of so-called "quality" bus lanes, along with better bus stops, wider pavements and satellite tracking of services along key routes in and out of Manchester.

The two new bus priority schemes for south east and north Manchester will come on stream as the £800m "big bang" Metrolink extensions gradually open over the next five years.

The bus lanes are designed to ease traffic congestion but they remain controversial. There was a storm of protest by drivers using the A6 between Stockport and Manchester when one of the bus routes opened in 2001.

Furious motorists collected fixed penalty fines from police for straying into bus and cycle lanes and there were queues of cars, confined to a single lane in some places.

And when the M.E.N. tested the route, a cyclist reached Manchester from Stockport almost half an hour ahead of the second to arrive - the bus.

The new southern bus route will cover 112 miles of roads between Manchester and Stockport and many of the surrounding districts.

Willingness

The route will include the A57 Hyde Road, the A560 between Stockport and Hyde, the A626 between Stockport and Marple, the A5149 between Cheadle Hulme and Bramhall, the A560 between Stockport and Cheadle, Manchester Airport service routes, the A5145 between Stockport and Urmston, the A34 Kingsway between Burnage and Manchester, the A6010 and B5167 Wilmslow Road to Northenden, A5145 and B5093 Withington to Parrswood and the B6167 Stockport to Reddish, as well as the corridor from Stockport to the Trafford Centre.

The northern bus route covers 30 miles from Bolton to Littleborough along the A58 linking Bury, Heywood and Rochdale and another corridor between Manchester and Rochdale via Middleton.

Moir Lockhead, Chief Executive of the First Group, Greater Manchester's biggest bus company, last week questioned Greater Manchester's willingness to help buses through the traffic.

But today he said: "This is excellent news. We look forward to working with GMPTE and the local authorities to deliver a fantastic new performance boost for Greater Manchester bus services. These corridors will offer shorter and more certain journeys and will be a real encouragement for people to switch from their cars."

Chris Mulligan, Director General of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, said: "It's simply ridiculous to suggest that there is no willingness in Greater Manchester to provide priority for buses. The Passenger Transport Authority and GMPTE recognise that buses are the most widely used form of public transport and we are doing everything we can to improve services.

"In terms of what we can deliver with the district councils, Greater Manchester has a Quality Bus Corridor programme that is well under way, with a network of around 217 miles of corridors being built throughout the county."